Kimono with Cockscomb Flowers

Unknown artist

The word keitō (literally, "chicken's head") connotes the cockscomb flower, which blooms from late summer to early autumn. As in English, the name of this showy flower celebrates the flamboyant head of the rooster. The early twentieth century, from which this kimono dates, saw an interest in objective, near-photographic-naturalism in yūzen-dyed and painted kimono patterns, such as the stand of cockscomb flowers seen on the lower half of this robe. The robe could almost serve as an illustration of a 1915 poem by Nagatsuka Takashi (1879–1915), who was known for his delicate sensitivity to the progression of the seasons: The cockscomb flowers, reflecting the chill autumn sun, Are reddening sharply.